6th Mar 2006, 01:21

LOL @ foreigners who think that you have to use different units of measurement for power depending on how that power is generated. (For that matter, LOL @ backwards foreigners who haven't caught up with the rest of the metric world.)

The definition of a watt:

1 watt = rate of energy conversion equal to 1 joule per second. There is nothing in this definition that specifies that it only applies to certain types of energy (ie, only chemical, or electrical, or mechanical). The watt is named after James Watt, inventor of the steam engine and the person who came up with the original definition for "horsepower". The watt was named in his honour, precisely because it was meant to be the metric replacement for the imperial horsepower.

Note that the horsepower was actually applied originally to steam engines - which used steam pressure rather than a chemical reaction to generate mechanical power. By the above reasoning, we should be using something other than horsepower to describe engines powered by chemical reactions. And it also raises interesting questions as to what we would do for engines are powered by other energy sources rather than combustion engines - Is the power of my electric drill 730 Watts, or is it 1 horsepower? What about engines that run on compressed air - do we need a new unit of measurement for this new "type" of energy?

6th Mar 2006, 07:57

I live in the US and I agree that it is embarrassing that we have still not converted to the metric system. The big push to do so in the mid-70's kind of died out because there are too many stupid people here who did not want to learn the new system, and others who thought it was some kind of Euro-plot to infiltrate the country by centimeters, and by cracky, they weren't buying it! Miles and gallons were good enough for their grand-daddies and so they were good enough for them!

24th Mar 2006, 13:09

Hello! I am the original author of said Lanos review with an update!

Vehicle is now 6 years old (relative bought it after lease ran out) with over 150,000 kms on it.

Nothing but regular service - tires, brakes, filters, timing belt, etc.! No leaks, squeaks or rattles either.

Best $12,500 Canadian Dollars I have ever spent on a vehicle, new OR used!

Too bad GM is hiding Daewoo products as Chevrolets and Suzukis - they could use some of the terrific press that the Korean manufacturers are getting nowadays!